Fighters talk all the time of reinvention, and coaches are a cornerstone of turning over a new leaf.

But can a lifetime of habits be broken in a fight camp or two?

Middleweights Michael Bisping (19-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) and Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) meet Saturday at The 02 in London at UFC 120, and both have spoken about new sources of knowledge they’ve drawn upon to speed their trip up the middleweight ladder.

Chances are, though, that they’ll play to their strengths.

The 35-year-old Akiyama sought out the help of famed MMA trainer Greg Jackson in his preparation for Bisping.

“I was able to learn how to deliver a good three rounds of fight in the cage,” Akiyama said through translator Ryo Ishibashi.

The Japanese star and standout judoka said he wasn’t himself in his most recent fight, a submission loss to Chris Leben at UFC 116, and he needed some new input on how to peak for Saturday’s fight, which airs via delay on Spike TV in the U.S.

“I felt like he didn’t have enough time to prepare for my opponent,” Akiyama said. “And so during the fight I wasn’t able to come up with a strategy that is specifically for Chris Leben.”

Jackson, of course, is known for his meticulous strategy, and the message he delivered to his new student is clear.

“I was able to learn the intricate skills of the takedowns, as well as better striking for MMA,” Akiyama said of his work with the trainer. “I feel like [I have] a better takedown than Bisping does.”

Bisping is completely unconcerned with Akiyama’s new path and said it won’t change anything when the two clash inside the cage.

“With respect, I couldn’t care less who he trains with,” the Brit said. “He can train with anyone. What I’m focusing on these days is what I do, focusing on my training. And he can worry about what I’m bringing to the table. My training’s going fantastic. I feel in great shape. I’ve improved all my areas. Regardless of who he’s training with, I think I’ll be too much for him.”

Almost in the same breath, Bisping admits that new coaches have been a key element of his success in this camp.

“Now everything’s coming together,” he said. “Mario Sukata, he’s always been my MMA coach. But I’ve been working with some new striking coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, new boxing coaches, a new wrestling coach.

“I feel now I’m really maturing as a fighter. And I’ve got the experience under my belt, and my skills are all coming together. I’m understanding the game a lot more. I’ve got the confidence back where I need to be.”

In his most recent octagon performance, Bisping stuck to the striking-centered style that first brought him notoriety in the UFC – before he angered half the UFC’s audience with his brash cockiness – and soundly outpointed grappling specialist Dan Miller at UFC 114.

That’s the strategy he’ll likely take when it comes to Akiyama, who’s all but promised to put Bisping on his back and either submit or grind him down.

Akiyama’s very thinly veiled duty is to lock the fight up in the clinch and prevent Bisping from getting the distance needed to rack up striking combinations with hands and feet (though his own striking skills are nothing to sneeze at), and he could very well catch Bisping if a firefight breaks out.

Yes, the two are well-rounded enough to contest the fight in any range. But new coaches or not, they’ll stick to what they know with a little push back. And with the skill level involved in Saturday’s fight, that’s exactly what’s on tap.

Lessons learned for Hardy

U.K. native Dan Hardy (23-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) didn’t really need a coach to tell him what went wrong during a failed bid to take welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s belt in March at UFC 111. The simple fact of the matter was he got outclassed on the mat for 25 minutes.

“I think anybody watching the fight, it’s pretty obvious,” Hardy said. “I mean, my wrestling wasn’t up to scratch, and my offensive jiu jitsu wasn’t there. You know, I couldn’t threaten [St-Pierre] on the ground at all, and I could hardly get back to my feet.”

Although he showed a surprising resiliency against the champion’s multiple submission attempts, Hardy said he’s made the grappling game his top priority.

That includes his preparation for a fighter primarily known for his striking prowess: Carlos Condit (25-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC). The former WEC champ has stopped 11 opponents with his hands and feet, though his long limbs also have helped him end 13 fights by submission.

Condit most recently notched a come-from-behind victory against 21-year-old Rory MacDonald, who outclassed him for two-plus rounds before Condit managed to turn the tides in the final moments of the third and final frame.

Hardy, of course, is known for the striking skills that have netted him the majority of his professional wins; prior to his setback against St-Pierre, he outstruck Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Rory Markham and Akihiro Gono under the UFC banner.

And while Hardy admits it’s going to be a while before he’s a lay-and-pray artist, he plans on showing off some new mat moves when he meets Condit.

“It’s going to be a constant process I’m going to be doing for the rest of my career,” he said. “But I certainly feel that I’m certainly ready for (UFC) 120, and I’m looking forward to taking [Condit] down and choking him out.”

Condit, meanwhile, is not sold on that promise, and he plans to outwork the Brit or cinch a submission from his back. After a setback to Martin Kampmann in his octagon debut, he needs a big win to propel him into the top echelon of the 170-pound division.

“Hardy’s got status in the UFC right now,” Condit said. “A win over him would, you know, probably catapult me up the rankings.

“But in addition to that, he’s the kind of fighter that I want to fight. He puts on exciting fights. He comes to finish guys, and I want to be in an exciting fight.”

A total of 26 fighters got their chance to shine on Saturday as part of UFC 190 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Now that UFC 190 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

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